Is LaBeouf Enough? An Eagle Eye Perspective

Eagle Eye is not the type of film I usually see in the theater. However, I found myself with some time today and sought out movie suggestions from friends on both Facebook and Twitter. There appeared to be a tie between Eagle Eye and Vicky Christina Barcelona, and here is why I chose to see the former…

It was far too early to absorb Woody Allen (11am)

I am lazy; VCB is only playing at an indie theater 20 minutes away & the theater down the street was showing EE on 2 screens

I will start by stating that my primary complaint with the action/thriller genre tends to be the acting and cheesy dialogue. Thankfully, there was far more adventure than actual conversation in Eagle Eye. It was intense and suspenseful, with very little of the relationship crap that every studio head feels necessary to interject (to address the female demographic).

Personally, I cringe at forced, failing chemistry between two leads in
any type of film; most of the time it is an unnecessary distraction
from the script, pace, plot, etc. For what it’s worth, I never rooted for Mulder & Scully to get together, and am hoping that Fringe strays far from the romance angle. But I digress…Perhaps the secret to successfully avoiding contrived courtships in typical ‘guy’ films is the inclusion of a female screenwriter. Eagle Eye was co-written by Hillary Seitz, who also scripted Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia and was responsible for uncredited rewrites on movies such as I, Robot and The Italian Job. I credit her for keeping the focus in Eagle Eye not on the coupling of the two leads, but rather on their mission at hand.

It is no secret that I LOATHED Transformers. And outside of Holes, I’ve never been a huge Shia LaBeouf fan. I’m still not entirely sold that he can hold a film, but with Eagle Eye, it’s safe to say that he’s making a better impression.

The jury is also still out for Michelle Monaghan. I enjoyed her in the underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but hope that she chooses a kick ass solo lead in the near future, a la Angelina Jolie.

Overall, Eagle Eye was what I like to call a ME Movie (mindless entertainment); you know what you’re in for and either buckle up or kick back for the ride. Conspiracy theorists may find the overall theme of the film more disturbing than entertaining, but if you’re able to suspend your disbelief for two hours…it was a pleasant surprise, worth the price of admission and one I recommend you experience in the theater.